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daisywords · 10 months

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I personally know there are multiple types of editing but I've never seen anyone explain it in a way that actually made me understand what the types of editing actually were (yeah cool that you say {}editing is different from []editing but *how*). So if you wanna explain, feel free to.

Your handy-dandy guide to different types of editing

disclaimer: writers, you can literally edit however works for you. these distinction can be useful to your process, or just if you're looking to hire an editor. Not all editors make distinctions in this way; there are various ways of dividing. But no matter what vocabulary you use, it's best practice to start with broad, big-picture stuff and move towards narrower issues. Some editors do all levels of editing, while some specialize.

Developmental Editing (Is it a good story?)

Developmental editing has to do with the content. For a novel, that means working on the bones of the story. The plot. The pacing. The characters. Do their motivations make sense? Can the reader understand why things are happening? Does the story drag in places, or seem to brush past important elements? Do all of the subplots get resolved? etc. etc. (At this stage an editor is mostly going to be offering suggestions, pointing out issues, and throwing out potential solutions. Beta readers can also be very helpful at this stage to get a reader's perspective on the story beats and characters.)

Line Editing (is it well written?)

Sometimes called substantive editing, line editing is zooming in a little bit more to focus on scenes, paragraphs and sentences. Once we've decided that a scene is going to stay, lets look at the mechanics of how it plays out. Does the scene start to early or too late? Does the writing style communicate the emotions we want the reader to feel? Does the dialogue match the characters' voices? do any of the sentences sound awkward or ugly? Is the movement being bogged down by too much purple prose anywhere, or is there not enough detail? (This can get pretty subjective, so it's important that the writer and the editor are on the same page with taste, style goals, etc.)

Copy Editing (is is correct?)

Copy editing is all about the details. Think grammar and punctuation. Do the sentences make sense? are they grammatically correct? Is the dialogue punctuated correctly? Any misspellings? Should this be hyphenated? Should this be capitalized? Should we use a numeral, or write out the number? etc etc. A significant part of copy editing is matching everything to a style manual (like Chicago or AP) a house style guide (individualized preferences from a publisher, for example), and a project's own internal style sheet (are the character's names spelled the same every time? if we used "leaped" in chapter 4, we shouldn't use "leapt" in chapter 7) Copy editing is still subjective, but less so than the earlier levels, so a copyeditor will be more likely to just go in and make a bunch of (tracked!) changes without consulting the author for everything.

Bonus: Proofreading (did the copyeditor catch everything? are there typos? formatting issues? have any errors been introduced?)

Lots of people say editing when they really mean proofreading. Proofreading is the absolute last thing to get done. It's the one last pass just before something is published. It's important, but as you can see, there's a whole lot more to editing than just checking for typos.

#editing #writeblr #editing process #writing process #editors or writers who have worked with editors feel free to chime in! we are not a monolith lol this is just they way I've learned

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cerise-on-top · 5 months

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Could you write hcs for Nikolai and price with a shy s/o pls & ty

Yeah, of course! Though, I think reader is a bit more anxious than shy in this one, but what is shyness if not anxiety regarding social situations that isn't debilitating? Thanks for requesting!

Price and Nikolai with a Shy!Reader

Price: While I do believe that he thinks shy people aren’t his type, valuing someone who can stand up for themselves, speak their mind and aren’t afraid to be a bit more honest than they maybe should be, the heart chooses who it chooses. He values open and honest communication with his partner more than anything else, but when it seems like you can’t talk to him, no matter how much time he gives you, he rethinks his strategies. Since being stern with you only seems to make you more nervous, more apprehensive, he’d opt for being more gentle, always asking your honest opinion. He might ask further questions, though, if he thinks that the answer he received from you is a bit too short or barely, if at all, reflects what you’re likely thinking and you simply don’t want to hurt his feelings. Sure, he may be a natural leader, so having someone agree with you for once feels good, but having someone give you a piece of their mind, giving you a different point of view so you can see the faults and flaws in your plans, is essential for good workmanship. Price values you and your input, if he has to coax you into giving him a longer, more subjective answer, then he will. A relationship can only really work if both parties are trying to keep it upright in a healthy manner.

While he’ll try to get you to open up in any gentle way he can think of, if the two of you are on an outing, then he’ll speak to the other party for you if you really can’t reply. Price is a good speaker, he knows which words are appropriate in which situation. With his confidence as well, he can cover most conversations for you. However, I can see him trying to make you a part of it anyway, regardless of whether you’re talking to your friend or his working colleague. Being included in a conversation can feel nice, after all. Besides, it might help you in getting out of your shell a bit. Despite absolutely hating making decisions for you, if you really can’t decide on something small, such as which burger to get or whether or not you should buy that lovely sweater, he’ll take the burden off of you if there are people around. But on bigger things that have a greater impact on your life he’ll simply consult you, give you all the potential outcomes he can think of and which effect they may have. It’s not his place to take your life into his hands like that.

Shyness can stem from insecurities, and he can tell when you’re not happy with yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re beating yourself up over having said something stupid in a conversation earlier that day or if you think you’re not worth listening to or having around, he’ll reassure you that it’s quite alright. Hell, if you’re willing to listen to him, he’s more than happy to tell you an anecdote or two about how he has slipped up when talking to his superiors. It happens to anyone, and by tomorrow that person probably won’t even remember what you said anyway. Unless he had trouble following you or didn’t understand what you meant clearly, Price won’t call you out on not having made complete sense either since he knows you might not take kindly to it, but he’d never make fun of you for misspelling any word, mixing things up or, well, not making sense. Sure, severe misinformation he will correct you on if it can greatly impact something, but not if you have a hard time speaking with correct grammar or pronouncing words perfectly.

Nikolai: Nikolai has met so many people in his life, he can get along just fine with just about anyone, especially because of his relaxed mannerisms. You being shy really isn’t a turn off at all, it can make for amusing scenarios at times. If you get flustered easily he’ll have a field day with that. You start stuttering? You blush? Say some nonsense while your mind is going haywire? That’s so adorable. While he’ll try to not overdo it and keep you comfortable, he does want to have his fun from time to time. If you don’t want to voice your opinion, that’s fine, but he will always ask you for your input. Even if you’re not a fan of saying anything with other people around, if it’s just the two of you, and you’re more willing to talk that way, then he’ll whisk you away. You don’t wanna say what you think in fear of him judging you? He will tell you that it’s alright, regardless of what it is, because truth be told, he’s probably heard far worse things than your opinion on the borschtsch he made. He’s observant enough to know when you’re lying to him in order to not make him mad, but won’t continuously poke and prod at you to have you spill the beans eventually. He’ll ask again once, but if you still won’t budge, then he won’t force anything out of you.

Because of him leading a private military company, he also knows a thing or two about how to engage in a conversation and keep it going for a while. If you want to say something, then you’re more than welcome to do so, but he knows that a shut mouth catches no flies. Yes, he might ask you a thing or two that he might not immediately remember off the top of his head, but if you don’t wanna come out of your shell then he won’t force you to. If you do wanna be more open, however, then it’s different. In that case, he’ll try to include you in the conversations that aren’t too taxing and give you some practice on being more open and social. Like Price, however, he won’t make every decision for you. He doesn’t have the time for that, plus you have enough autonomy like that. However, he is more than happy to call the pizza place you usually order from or tell the waiter at the restaurant what you’d like, that’s not a problem in his eyes. If you find yourself growing increasingly uncomfortable in a situation, Nikolai will get you out of there. He’s just as good at making any conversation end on a pretty good note.

If your shyness stems from insecurities then he, too, will reassure you that you didn’t mess up that badly. No one ever listened to what you had to say? Unless you’re both starting to talk at the same time, he won’t ever interrupt you, giving you his full attention instead. What you say doesn’t make any sense? Mixed up some information? Nikolai might chuckle a bit if you say something along the lines of monkeys liking bananas because they’re both yellow, he’ll gently correct you too, but he won’t be mean about it. Not everyone can remember everything all the time, he forgets things too. Besides, it’s not like he cares all that much. Sure, you said some nonsense, but he can also assure you that he’s heard far worse things. Can and will tell you some anecdotes about what he’s been told as well, there are quite a lot. If you don’t take too kindly to him smiling about something nonsensical, he’ll apologize. Trust me, if you’re upset, he’ll know immediately.

#cod #cod x reader #john price x reader #price x reader #john price #cod nikolai #cod nikolai x reader #i still remember when my mother used to call me an “extremely shy person”#the first time I went to therapy the therapist told my mother and me that it sounded more like pretty bad social anxiety #I still think about that from time to time #so this is sort of based on my experiences with potential social anxiety #because apparently freezing up in fear when talking to a stern stranger apparently isn't normal #though in hindsight I talked to someone who wasn't stern or mean either and I sort of froze up as well #well c'est la vie I suppose

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japanwords · 11 months

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ウサギちゃん (usagi-chan) "bunny" (actually "bnuy".... or maybe "bnuny"...???)

A friend commissioned me to create a Japanese calligraphy piece as a gift for someone who likes the word "bunny", but always intentionally misspells it "bnuy" or "bnuny".

The question is, how to interpret an English misspelling in Japanese?

My solution is as follows:

"rabbit" = 「ウサギ」 ("usagi")

2. Putting 「ちゃん」 ("chan") after it makes it sound cute and childish. So 「ウサギちゃん」 is a good translation of "bunny".

3. How about the misspelling? Changing the order of the katakana would result in something like "ugisa". This would probably just sound like gibberish.

4. After consulting with my friend, I decided to horizontally flip one katakana - the サ.

What do you think? Does this interpretation work? ;)

#書道 #japanese language #japanese culture #japan #japanese calligraphy #japanese art #calligraphy #japanese #kanji #japanese langblr #katakana #language learning #translation

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keikakudom · 7 days

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Agsudisg I'm so glad you liked it, Kazi, I literally sat down the moment I finished reading and started drawing cuz you freaking killed me, I MEAN, vox being stubborn and denying help, and Alastor stubbornly giving him the aid he needs, but crouched in their respective toxic egos and self-image? So delicious. Alastor, who needs to know why he was left behind, and vox who's desperately pouring himself into the new thing... Ahhhh...

The part where he implies he really was running off to die...and Alastor goes all soft...the shared frequency, the antenna petting... I reread that multiple times bc it's so good...and the claws, the claws, vox denies wanting help from alastor to the last, but the claws!

(also we tots need full seasons and reruns of 'Let's Shit on Vox', I bet Alastor even encourages to call in with more info, not that anyone would bc they're too scared. Hey, does carmilla have to listen his obsession LOL)

Btw for the artist questions, if you want, 9, 14, 30?

YOU NEVER FAIL TO MAKE ME GUSH, ES AAAA...oh lemme tell you when I lock-in, i do NOT fuck around with toxic old men yaoi. When I get better at writing, I hope to capture all their glory✨

I have never really written in this particular weird genre, I don't even know what to call it? Disgustingly intimate love/hate? At least, that's what I aspire for it to be XD

Heheh the part where "Alastor goes all soft" is also a little on the part of RR!AU characterization, so it's a bit exaggerated. He's trying to ween his way in appealing to Vox again, but RR!AU Vox is just so tired. Alastor keeps bringing up the past....This was kind of a wacky scenario to write because it does skip/make you infer a lot of stages of development, but the AU is close enough to canon that I think it's not far to imagine filling in the gaps hhh....

LMFAO yes, Alastor def encourages call-ins, "The 'Let's Shit on Vox' show, your one-stop opportunity to diss Hell's most saturated overlord!" -- on the rare occasion someone actually called in, Alastor killed whoever said something off about Vox that wasn't to his "flavor" of hate.

Carmilla has already read through these two idiots and just rolls her eyes at their immaturity. If she's there for Alastor's radio show, she's just in the background, utterly done and convinced they're playing everything up for entertainment at this point. Now that has me thinking, if Alastor ever started feeling something unfamiliar and god-forbid genuinely *good*(????), he would probably consult Rosie or Carmilla for it first........and Vox would ask Charlie.....oh..........

Aaaand Artist Questions under the cut, TYSM for the ask <33

9. What are your file name conventions?

I have terrible file organization. Many of them are named "a", "aa3", "asgv", "fhgh", or other random keyboard smashes. Recently, I have a bad habit of naming files "sketch1", "sk1", "skht1", or some misspelled way-- it's gotten so bad I'm up to "sketch22".... I find things by icon only.

14. Any favorite motifs?

Straight edges and shapes, maybe? I started drawing with an anime style though I'm mostly into western media-- I think it's very satisfying to have nice shape design/silhouettes though, but I don't draw in a super cartoony or exaggerated style so it's kind of hard to tell that I like and have fun doing it. I'm kind of scattered and like to dip my foot into everything unfortunately.

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated?

None really, but if I had to pick one for HH, maybe this one.

For my older art, definitely this one. I mean, I don't love it anymore, but I really thought I ATE with the concept at the time.

#ask #flonautilus #you are giving me so much nice words of confidence sobs

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burr-did-nothing-wrong · 10 months

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What other Shitty things did Aaron Burr do apart from period typical nonchalance about his wife’s illness? I feel like we always focus on the bright side of his character but we don’t discuss much of the flaws apart from the ones we clown on all the time. I’ll start:

1. Being a strict helicopter parent. Sometimes in the letters regarding Theo’s education, it seems like he’s just prescribing education to her from afar. Like yes, he loves his daughter definitely and gave her the tools to become intellectual and well equipped for life, but did he ever actually spend time to just play with her? Maybe he did, I think it’d be awesome if he did, but in a way he feels somewhat distant and controlling to his kids (ie the expectation of daily letters). He’s a known disciplinarian and that he’s probably holding them to the same standards that he holds himself to but I genuinely can’t imagine what it must be like to grow up in a household like that.

We cut Burr a lot of slack for being overbearing because he's giving Theodosia the kind of education that was expected of male children. Personally I find their relationship to be the opposite of cold and distant--they are often playful and joking in their letters, and incredibly frank about thinks that most gentlemen would not speak to their daughters about.

On the other hand, Burr could be incredibly infuriating and overbearing. He would complain that she wasn't writing him enough, which eventually led to her snapping at him in this hilarious letter. In this letter he refused to answer one of her questions because she misspelled a word, which when you consider the time taken to write, send, receive these letters, motivates me to stab him with a dinner fork. He also had a habit of communicating in cipher (which never got him into any legal trouble), but on one occasion he forgot to send Theo the key, which I'm sure made her want to tear her hair out.

But we cut him slack because he really loved her and vice versa and he wrote heartbreaking shit like this. And then when he was in Europe he sought out an obgyn for her--you have to also consider that at the time it was unheard of for men to consult with midwives, etc. Then there's this:

#ask #I mined all this info from Rina and Selkie #I wholly believe they are the preeminent Burr related scholars of their field

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pandemic-info · 2 years

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How to check if a source is credible. Misinformation is straight up killing people

via reddit: What’s some basic knowledge that a scary amount of people don’t know?

EDIT: How to actually check if a source is credible:

- Identify the author and check their credentials. Also, see who their employer is, and consider how it might impact their biases.

- Compare headlines to the actual content of the article. Is it intentionally misleading to provoke an emotional response? Think about whether it's done to intentionally misdirect people.

- Check the date the article was published. When it was released could change if the information is outdated.

- Fact check the story by using websites like FactCheck.org.

- Dig deep to see if the news article cites sources and traceable quotes.

- Check if the URL has any misspellings or odd use of language.

Important things to remember:

Always consult multiple sources - Social media is NOT a reliable source (looking at you, Facebook)

- Be open minded and fight against confirmation bias.

- Avoid predictive searching so you don't get trapped in an echo chamber.

—

P.s. I save quite a few things from Twitter. When I do, I look who posted it, what their credentials are, if that's corroborated elsewhere, who else endorses them, etc. (Usually it's from researchers whose work I already knew from years back.) That doesn't mean they or the info is certainly infallible; it's just due diligence, to the extent I can.

If something is incorrect, I want to know. But likewise I'm skeptical depending who says so, what their credentials and sources are, and always: cui bono?

#misinformation #scientific literacy #skepticism #fact check #credibility #cui bono

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strangeknight · 6 months

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Marvel Year-In-Review, 1992.

ID: An article from Marvel Year-In-Review 1992. It's titled "Northstar's Hair-Raising Revelation". The article text is as follows: "When the famous Olympic athlete, Canadian superhuman and Alpha Flight founding member Jean-Paul Beaubier made an impassioned revelation in the midst of a battle through downtown Toronto last March, for some reason every major news agency in the civilized world leapt upon it like piranha on a side of beef. So Northstar is gray … this is news?

Well, apparently these days it is, along with Vice Presidents misspelling vegetables and epileptics having seizures in response to Mary Hart's voice. But the media furor over Northstar's idiotically obvious statement was so overwhelming that at the Canadian super guy's press conference, many of us journalists were forced to sit almost out of earshot. Until now, the superhuman community seemed to the effects of social peer pressure, at least so far as it related to their hair. Everyone's known for years that Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards is partially gray, as is his evil-looking twin brother, Nick Fury. Then you've got the all-white mutant squad: Magneto, Cable, Quicksilver … heck, a contact deep within Wilson Fisk's organization implied that the totally bald Kingpin of Crime is really a closet gray who shaved his head to conceal the truth. ('Course, I don't recommend asking Willie about that to his face.) So again … what's the big deal? Psylocke goes from being a purple-haired Brit to a blue-haired Oriental (sic) and no one bats a lash. The Hulk's skin changes from green to gray to green and the media collectively yawn. But, hey, a second-string super hero like Northstar tells everyone he doesn't use Grecian Formula and suddenly it's circus time. Sean Larkin, noted Toronto-area hair stylist and tonsorial spokesman with the "Silver Grail" salon chain, thinks he has the answer to this puzzling situation. "While the loss of hair is becoming more and more accepted in our culture, it's still considered by some to be a major faux pas to mention it in mixed company." Uh-huh. Right. Let's ask someone else's opinion. "Before the public statement, people just thought he was an arrogant celebrity," noted Toronto media consultant Mark Asquith. Ahh … now w're getting somewhere. The media hoopla obviously must have been due to the resounding revelation -- Northstar is really a courageous arrogant celebrity. -- Steve Saffel."

The next portion is a series of short interviews with Marvel heroes. It's titled Peer Perplexity and reads as such: "Marvel Year-In-Review contacted a few of Northstar's peers -- other muscular guys who wear tights in public -- to get their reactions to this raving controversy. Their responses were less than illuminating. In fact, most of them seemed more confused than anything else by the whole thing. Captain America's interview: MYIR: Do you feel there is any problem with Northstar's decision to remain gray in the face of public opinion? CA: Did you say-- MYIR: Yes, do you feel he should be forced to conform? CA: Of course not! It is every man or woman's inalienable right to maintain whatever lifestyle they wish, so long as it does not infringe upon the personal freedom by any other person. MYIR: So you feel freedom of hair color is guaranteed in the Constitution. CA: Yes, I -- wait, what did you say --? MYIR: Thank you, Captain. USAgent's interview: MYIR: What is your response to the uproar over Northstar's revelation that he is gray? USA: Gray! Ohhhh … so that was the problem! Well, that's just the kind of crud I'd expect from a Canadian, especially a French-Canadian. No real American would be caught dead worrying so much about his hair. If you want to look like a real man, you just use a little chemical enhancement. President Reagan proved that! MYIR: Uh … right. Thank you. Reed Richards' interview: MYIR: Do you feel Northstar's gray hair presents any real problem in his line of work? RR: His what? MYIR: His gray hair. RR: His… MYIR: Gray hair. Dr. Richards, do you have a hearing problem? RR: No, no, it's just I expected you to say -- MYIR: The *question*, Dr. Richards, was: does Northstar's open grayness represent a threat to his standing as a super hero? RR: Well, of course not. But if he did want to change, with just a few adjustments to his basic genetic structure I could provide him with any color hair he could possibly want, and perhaps even give him the ability to change it at will. It wouldn't be a problem at all, compared with changing things like his -- MYIR: Thank you, Dr. Richards.

End transcription.

#chuck chatters #marvel #jean-paul beaubier #im so obsessed with this

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hekates-corner · 5 months

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Apothecary Diaries | WN Translation | Arc 9 - Chapter 18

Hi and welcome!

For a number of reasons I ended up here. I relay all that happens in the chapters, playing wine-aunt.

So, be warned, all the spoilers are down below. If you'd like spoilers, but less - my dm's/asks are open!

New here or missed a part? Check out the Masterlist.

Chapter 18 | Hitoban Pt. 3

There was an uproar in the courtyard but as soon as Jinshi, the mightiest man, told them to disperse, everyone returned to their posts. Once everyone was gone they checked inside the net.

“What *the hell* is this…..” - both Jinshi and Basen went wide-eyed. Based on Basen’s reaction, Narrator-Mao concludes that the bird must’ve escaped him before he could get a proper look.

The bird that Chue had caught was an owl (esp ural owl), about a foot long. However, it had a somewhat eerie look (kao) to be called an owl and they were taken aback by it.

It’s face (men) was white and round, as if it was wearing a mask (men). The feathers around the face were dark, so if it were in a dark place without spreading its wings, it would look like a floating mask (men).

But—

“It’s kind of small, isn’t it?” - It’s Tianyu who says it plainly.

I think Narrator-Mao goes on noting that even in front of Jinshi, the moon prince, Tianyu looks/is bold/imposing. The double mention of Jinshi’s titles is throwing my translators off.

Maomao nudges Tianyu with her elbow.

“Oh, I’m very sorry. You were here too, moon prince”

Maomao finds Tianyu pretty unfriendly. Of course she’d moved herself elsewhere.

Jinshi too wore a slightly hard/stiff facial expression. On the surface it was the smile of a heavenly being/he had the smile of a celestial being.

“There was an uproar. It would be strange if we didn’t notice. But what were you doing?”

Maomao thinks something that's either “shameless” or “hypocritical”

She goes on wondering as narrator what he (Tianyu) is going to say since he (Jinshi) even sent Basen to her.

Maomao steps forward because she doesn't know what Tianyu would say/reply.

“Okay. Lately, there have been rumors that strange things have been happening around this mansion. The military attaché with the medical officer had been consulted about this matter by a servant, so he investigated it while patrolling the residence. Today, I was consulted by that servant in the morning, but I was reluctant to ask the military officer, who had (just) finished his night guard, to directly investigate. His original job is to protect the medical officer, not doing chores.”

Maomao thinks “Let’s mix a little sarcasm in there”

She goes on adding something along the lines of “So I, as a court lady and medical officer went out to see if I could hear the story.”

Jinshi’s pretty much like “I see/Hm. Then what about the doctor next to you. There must be other work for a doctor to do.” (referring to how she couldn’t wake Lihaku but chilling with Tianyu’s fine) - His eyes sharp/cutting/discerning.

In her head Maomao’s like “Ah-” - going on as narrator that in the end it wasn’t good to involve Tianyu at all.

“I’m very sorry. I forced myself to follow her (he’s basically saying he forced his presence upon her). Maomao is better at dispensing medicine than a young medical officer like me, and I’m currently learning a lot of things *from her*. When I heard Maomao was walking around the courtyard, I thought she was looking for something to use as ingredients for herbal medicine, so I followed her.”

Mind-Mao’s like “This guy… …” - apparently Tianyu shifts the way he refers to himself, using second person now. She also notes as narrator that he apparently seems to purposefully misspell someone’s name on purpose (I think it’s hers?)

She feels like Jinshi’s eyes have become even more stern/steely.

“I see. I understand the general situation, but is it true that the real mystery is this bird/I have a general understanding of what’s going on, but the key question is, is this bird the true identity of the monster?”

Maomao’s like “Yes. Half of it.”

Maomao looks at the owl.

“There will be people watching us here. I’d like to change the location and ask for more details, is that okay?”

“Yes, sir.” - Maomao accepts Jinshi’s offer/request.

“I’ve never seen a bird with a face (kao) like this before.” - Jinshi gives the caged bird a serious/fixed long look.

From the courtyard they were led to the guest room used by Jinshi - there’s also another couple of rooms in use that Maomao notes you could hold a light/small tea party in.

Jinshi is sitting as the host, and around him are the usual: Suiren, Maomao, Taomei, Chue and bodyguard Basen. Narrator-Mao also has a feeling that Basen’s older brother Baryou is probably nearby but she doesn’t think he’ll come out.

For some reason Tianyu is also in the same room, smiling.

Maomao thinks that Tianyu should just say he has some job to do and decline.. but as narrator she knows that “if something seems interesting, he’ll follow you, that’s Tianyu”.

“Why did you think this bird was the true identity of the mysterious “Hitoban”?”

At Jinshi’s question Maomao closes her eyes. She has to be careful not to give Tianyu strange information. (one could also use suspicious or unexpected, etc)

“Okay - the first thing that struck me as odd/I thought was strange was the word “mask” (men). When I heard that people had seen “masks” on trees and buildings, I first looked around/checked the trees.”

Then she found the bird droppings which clarified that it wasn’t a small bird, but a carnivorous one of a certain size.

“Small bird were normally flying around the residence during the day, so I suspected that if there were carnivorous birds, they must be nocturnal.”

“I see/Hm. At that point you felt like the bird was the true identity of the monster, but what was the basis for that?”

“If you know this bird, you can imagine it. This is my first time seeing one in real life, but I knew that there were birds that looked like they had masks (men) on. They were drawn in an illustrated book of living things that I got at the pharmacy I used to work at.”

Jinshi, Narrator-Mao assumes, would probably know what the illustrated book is - it’s one of those taken from the Shi clan’s fortress. She also notes that he should be the one holding onto it now, so he can see it if he gets someone to bring it to him.

“The name is said to be: barn/masked (men) owl. If it was a normal owl, you wouldn’t think it had a floating face - but, above all, I feel like this owl has a slightly unusual color.”

Dark feathers. She notes that she thought most owls had black wings and a white belly, but this one’s almost entirely dark brown except the face.

“May I ask you a question?” - Tianyu raises his hand.

“Let’s hear it/Say it.” - Jinshi’s tone is a little more imperious/coercing than usual.

“It certainly looks like a mask, but isn’t it too small? It’s too pretty/cute to be a human face though/called a human face though.”

Tianyu looks at the owl in the cage. The owl didn’t act violent, it just looked sleepy. If they were to put nesting material in the cage it might sleep.

“Human eyes are ambiguous/unclear. I think that the presence of the white floating in the air is significant. Besides/Also-”

Maomao takes a piece of paper out of her pocket - when she’s looking for a writing utensil Chue quickly handed one to her. Narrator-Mao notes that she moves quick/works well. In addition, she often provokes Basen, who let the owl escape, by giving him an irritated look.

Maomao writes four dots on a piece of paper and shows them to Jinshi and Tianyu - they should be exactly where eyes, nose and mouth are.

“The human eye is designed so that when the dots are lined up like this, it looks like a human face. This is similar to the idea of seeing a persons face floating on a pillar/It’s just like the way people’s faces are often seen on pillars.”

“Understood. You found out the identity of the mask(men) floating in the night.”

Tianyu puts his hand in the cage and.. pokes/nudges the owl - it doesn’t put up/offer any particular resistance. Taomei(?) comes over with a plate with raw chicken on it.

Maomao thinks “Luxurious.”

As Taomei(?) offers the owl the chicken with chopsticks, it easily takes a mouthful (beakful? xD). It has no qualms about eating things offered to it by others.

“You found out the identitity of the mask (men). But what is the identity of the head (atama)?”

Narrator-Mao notes that Tianyu’s not a fool - he remembers exactly what Maomao said.

“Mask (men) and head (atama)? What does that mean?” - Jinshi’s asking for an explanation.

Maomao decided to speak again, including a review.

“There have been reports of sightings for the past 20 days. At that time it was called “men” or “kao”. However, it seems that the last few sightings are of a head (atama). Moreover, it was floating outside the mansion.”

“I suppose you are trying to say that “mask/men” and “head/atama” are different things. So, if this bird is the “mask/men” what would/will be the head/atama?”

“That’s the thing.” - Maomao glances at Chue.

“What is it? Do you need something from Chue-san?”

“It’s not Chue-san, is it?”

Maomao was thinking about the chronology. Witness testimony of the “atama” from a few days ago. This coincides with the date when Maomao and the others came to/arrived in Saito. And there’s one person who seems to be doing something strange.

“Pardon me. Chue-san has been with Maomao-san for the past few days.”

That’s right, she was away plowing the field with Maomao.

“This is just a hypothesis. However, just by looking at this owl, I feel like I figured something out.”

Narrator-Mao takes note of the owl eating chicken with its foot, spotting beautiful goldwork.

“Probably, but I think we’ll find it soon. We just have to leave a little trap.” Maomao grinned, patting the owl with its creepy face.

The next day Chue appears, alongside with her the distinctive sound of her footsteps.

Maomao had finished cleaning up the breakfast and was preparing medicine with the quack doctor.

“Are you a prophet, Maomao-san?” - Chue said/asked while blinking.

“I see that you found it. Have you been rough with them?”

“What are you two talking about? I have no idea what you mean.”

He’s a quack from beginning to end, but since it’s too troublesome to explain Maomao asks him to continue dispensing medicine - after, the tea should be prepared.

Chue, looking like she owned the place, sat on a chair waiting for Guen to bring the tea and sweets. (i’d like her balls, ngl xD)

“Okay. As Maomao-san said, I kept watch over the owls cage at night. Then, I looked to the place where the owl suddenly started making noise - there was a big problem/and lo and behold, there it was. I/We found someone dressed in black with a strange mask on.”

Chue seems to be having fun, drinking the tea that Guen was offering quietly - the sweets he brought were dried fruits from Saito.

“I couldn’t believe he really looked/was dressed like that.”

Even Maomao was surprised that it fit so well.

“So, is that suspicious person the one who raised the owl?”

“Correct.” - Chue makes a large circle. (i’d assume with her arms)

“Maomao-san, why did you think that the culprit behind the strange incident was the owl breeder?” - Chue asked frankly.

Maomao recalls/remembers the owls characteristics.

“Because it was clearly a pet owl. It also had the decoration/ornament on its legs and it didn’t seem to get angry in the cage, so it was eating the processed chicken without any caution. I thought that he had been taking care of it for many years, rather than just temporarily caught it as a pet.”

“Ah/Oh”

“And there was one thing that bothered me about the sightings.”

Narrator-Mao explains: The sightings of the “mask/men” were reported about 20 days ago, and the sightings of the “head/atama” was reported a few days ago. There’s one/some similarity.

“If it was twenty days ago, it must’ve been around the time that Empress Gyokuyous niece left for the capital.”

“Ah/Oh” - Chue seems to understand.

“Owl’s were originally one of the offerings brought to the capital/The owl was originally one of the offerings taken/to be taken to the capital. What if it somehow escaped?”

“Oh/I see. So did they decide to capture it now because the royal family was coming and they wanted to present it again? Is that the reason he put on such a strange mask so that no one can see his face?”

Maomao had an idea about the strange appearance - but it’s not a clear answer, just one of the guesses that Maomao makes.

“Maomao-san. Chue-san is a easygoing person, but I’m not a fool, so I won’t take Maomao-san’s opinon as just a story.” - Narrator-Mao notes that she’s basically telling her to keep it short - once she hears this she feels lighter/her mouth does.

“I think the mask and black costume are probably meant to resemble the owl’s parents.” - Chue tilts her head at Maomao’s words.

“Do you know what imprinting is?”

“Yes, Chue-san knows. When a bird is born from an egg it recognizes the first thing it sees as its parent.”

“Right. I wonder if the caretaker intended to release the owl back into the wild. I thought that they might’ve tried to avoid them remembering people’s faces.”

“Oh”

Narrator-Mao remarks that judging by the owl’s droppings, it was probably catching its own food.

“But in the end, it seems like it developed the habit of receiving chicken from people. If an owl with a funny face was accustomed to humans, rich people would buy it as a novelty, or give it as a tribute to a nobleman.”

“Do you mean that the person who raised it didn’t like that and let it free or let it escape?”

“It’s just an assumption.”

“However, the owl that was supposed to run away ended up living in the villa of Gyokuen-sama. And if the royal family were to stay there, it would be a big problem.”

“That’s just hypothetical.”

“If you call for the owl and are dressed as you were when you raised it, it will come - then catch the owl and release it far away.”

“Assumption.”

“I know.”

Narrator-Mao notes that to call the owl they’d have to blow a whistle or something. The owl responded, but couldn’t get out. (that’s when it went crazy in the cage while Chue was keeping watch on it)

She goes on that whether or not her assumptions are true, one thing has been learned.

“There’s no doubt that he’s an owl breeder.”

“I agree.”

Maomao and Chue laugh with a grin. The quack doctor watches the two evil spirits outside the mosquito net and is frightened. If he, like Maomao assumes, is a person that can raise birds from chicks, a certain problem will come closer to being solved.

“The wind reading tribe”, told by a former serf named Nenshin - a tribe said to have been surrounded by the dog clan.

Maomao thinks that they probably can’t survive just by holding festivals/rituals.

Also, if “we” think about how they exterminated insects, one answer emerges.

The “wind reading tribe” is said to have handled birds. Maomao recalls that a certain thing was once done with birds.

Communication using pigeons.

Similarly, if birds were used as a means of communication, the wind-reading-tribe would become adept at not only festivals but also about espionage.

Maomao decides to meet the suspicious person they had caught.

Notes | Chapter 19

Yeah.. it was an owl all along xD outside of Tianyu, this was the most confusing back and forth so far. If you stuck around or knew what the ending was gonna be, congrats!

Maomao calls Jinshi shameless/hypocritical because Lihaku had mentioned he's been involved in getting the job to Maomao yet acted like he didn't know a thing.

Yes, Jinshi was jealous and Maomao knows.

I'm sorry that the mansion and villa thing keeps switching, we all know it's just a pricey, fancy house at the end of the day

So, now it's officially confirmed for you and me that the "dog clan" was Nenshin's group. It was confusing for me, but yeah.

Hope you enjoyed and stay safe!

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #hekates apothecary

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elizabethplaid · 14 days

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daily notes - april 16, 2024

Got up fine today, though I still didn't quite feel "on my game". How bad was I spaced out? Didn't realize I forgot my nose ring until I was already at the library. Remembered my other jewelry, though!

LL-J wasn't there, so it was an "indulgent" day. Since joined me again, too. I played phone games the whole time, until there was like an hour left. Then I read badly-edited romance novels and kept having to stop and cringe, pedantically.

"Why am I reading this?" I asked myself. It's the smut, truly. But a lot of the stories on the app are fantasies: eg werewolves, billionaires, mafia, fated mates, etc. So the lead-up romance scenes aren't always smooth.

I had just finished a really nice story set in a bakery with a hard-of-hearing FL and an ML with burn scars on his leg. (It's "Wrong Number" by Laura Brown, on the Readict app, if you're inclined.)

There was another recent one with some cursed pirate-ghost situation. Seemed to be set in my area of Maine, though they only mentioned nearby towns. They also spelled Eastport as two separate words and misspelled the name of my college's town. Other than those details, it was pretty nice. ("Salvation" by Jacqueline Paige)

I haven't been reading on the app as much since mid-January, when my phone-friend got in contact with me again. Between our conversations and rereading my own writing, it's a lot harder to turn off my brain for these stories.

The hyper-empathy is also a challenge, as I envision how I'd react in those situations. In particular, it's the rich guy buying expensive things for the woman without consulting her. (In contrast, those shopping-spree montages in movies are a fantasy I know I want but can't achieve. More because of what sizes stores offer, than the fictional budget. Guess it's about control and my opinion mattering.)

My mom used to do that a lot, with her ebay purchases, and her bad spending habits were a big source of tension in the family. But she'd buy these things with me in mind, allegedly. Sometimes it was something I wanted to show her to say "hey this is neat"; other times, it was something of interest that I hadn't seen. But they were unwanted. After all, if money is finite (mom always ran up her credit cards to the limit), I should make what I get count - pick out something -really- good, that I won't regret getting.

I've mentioned this to phone-friend before. When thinking of trinkets as gifts, I said I wanted something practical yet meaningful, preferably not expensive. And they gave me a Saint Sebastian key chain, which I adore. My side of the exchange was our friendship bracelets.

Over time, I've learned -and am still learning- just how much my mom mucked with how I perceive relationships. It's tough to accept being appreciated for just being myself - that I don't have to do some service in order to be "worth keeping around". (It was easier to accept that my body type can be seen as attractive, and that's already a hurdle for many people.) Accepting gifts makes me feel guilty sometimes, reliving those memories. I'm getting better about asking for allowance, but I don't like spending money often.

It's funny that mom was the one who introduced me to romance novels, including the smutty ones. Now I'm noticing my struggles with enjoying them, because of her affect on me. Then again, I keep thinking of what I would do in these situations. Basically, it's food-for-thought as to developing my own stories.

#daily notes

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esotl · 1 year

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Performance - Chapter 9 (Part 16)

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring

Characters: Hokuto, Shu

Translation Directory

Aah, it's you. I thought I recognised you, Hockey Mask-kun.

You're still by Wataru's side? You have strange tastes.

Time: That Night

Location: Drama Club Room

Hokuto: ...No good! One more time, please, Transfer Student.

Okay, turn there... Un, deux, trois♪

Damn it. No matter what I do, my body ends up recalling the leader's movements.

...Hm? Ah, in ballroom dancing, the male role is the "leader". Fufun, isn't it appropriate for me, who became the leader of Trickstar?

...Right. My parents taught me ballroom dancing when I was young, so it comes naturally to me.

It's rather useful when playing the role of a prince on stage. Balls are a given, so I learned everything about them in advance.

Although. It seems I'm not good at forgetting things I've done before.

Even if I can't forget, it'd be nice if I could consciously switch, but... I don't quite have the dexterity to conduct myself like that.

Speaking of dexterity, Isara... Recently, I've only been concentrating on Drama Club rehearsals, but I can't neglect Trickstar either.

I asked you to supervise their lessons and stuff, but... Are those guys taking it seriously?

Hm. If they're performing with all their might, that's good.

But they're lonely because I rarely show up, you say?

Are they babies? Haha, well, I feel lonely too.

But I want to concentrate on rehearsals so I can properly play my given role.

It's my first step into blooming as an actor, like my mother. I'll dance these steps carefully too.

Un, deux, trois... there♪

Haha. You look exhausted, Transfer Student. Apologies for making you practice with me, even though you don't have much stamina compared to us...

I won't make you overdo it, take a rest if you're tired.

Right. We've been here long enough already, let's get you home.

I'm sorry. I just thought, "It'd be nice to spend time together before going home~" but I ended up making your overtime work drag on.

You are my- no, our success story itself. Our confidence grows when we're with you, we feel like we can do anything.

It might be a bother to you, but I want you to stay with us in the future too, Transfer Student.

Haha. Since you're a girl, just looking at your reactions and gestures makes good reference for the play.

Of course you don't represent all girls, but observing the real thing is the best after all.

Hm? Why are you looking away? Could it be I said something weird again?

I intend to be careful, but in other people's eyes, I apparently slip up often.

Oh, you say you're embarrassed that I'm staring at you...?

Hm. So that's how it is for girls, I'll take note of that.

Shu: Pardon me.

Hokuto: (...!? That's the formerly renowned top idol of Valkyrie and The Five Eccentrics... Itsuki Shu!)

...Do you need something from the Drama Club, Itsuki-senpai?

Shu: Hm? It's the Transfer Student girl, and...?

Aah, it's you. I thought I recognised you, Hockey Mask-kun.

You're still by Wataru's side? You have strange tastes.

Hokuto: Don't call me "Hockey Mask." I'm Hidaka Hokuto from Trickstar, nice to meet you.

Shu: Hmph. "Trickstar," is it...?

Asserting yourself as a subsidiary role and as jesters... I'm doubtful of your character.

And confidently misspelling "ster" as "star" as if it's some incredibly tasteful idea is painful to look at.

Hokuto: Did you come here to criticise us, Itsuki-senpai?

Shu: No? Wataru suddenly placed an order for costumes without consulting me first, and that idiotic Kagehira accepted it without thinking-

I decided to visit the club room to return the order slip.

Is he not here? I've wasted my time if so, how annoying.

Hokuto: Oh, it seems like the President is busy with fine activities.

Since we defeated them at DDD, their value has dropped somewhat... they probably want to repair their reputation quickly.

Shu: fine? Don't mention that name in front of me, it's unpleasant...

Though I feel there's a hole in your explanation. He's really doing idol activities this late into the night?

Hokuto: No, it seems like he's sparing so much time for performance rehearsal that he has no choice but to do his idol lessons after sundown.

It's fine, so apparently they pay overtime for vigorous training from specialty coaches.

Because of that, they're able to learn new techniques every day, he said.

Going off topic, if you need something from the President, should I relay the message?

No, if it's something simple, I can act as a proxy and take it on myself. Would you mind me taking that order slip thing?

Shu: Hmph... I've changed my mind. I'll make the costumes after all.

The more Wataru immerses himself in this "performance," the less time he has for fine activities, no?

If so, I'll make such wonderful costumes that he can't think of anything but theatre.

Fufun. Even Tenshouin will make a good face when he's unable to play with the toy he's finally obtained. Just imagining his dissatisfied expression has me itching to create.

Kakaka! You're in my way, I must return to my club room to sew!

Hokuto: Sigh... I don't get it. It's already pretty late, so it's best if you go home too.

Shu: Nonsense. What if I end up losing the inspiration dwelling in my fingertips during my departure?

My parents have given up on me anyhow, so I won't be causing any worry.

...I said something unnecessary. Do forget that.

Well then, Hockey Mask-kun. ...If possible, I hope you'll stay by Wataru's side in the future.

He's a lonelier man than you think.

Hokuto: ......?

[Chapter 8 • Directory • Act 6]

#enstars translation #ensemble stars #hokuto hidaka #shu itsuki #enstars #ensemble stars translation #performance! the tragicomedy of romeo and juliet

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